momslilassassin | Naboo [Monday, Fandom time]

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Naboo [Monday, Fandom time]

Ben and Ender were still hosting houseguests, and since the speeder hadn't been destroyed the day before, it meant it was time for Cultural Opportunities In Town!

...or Twi'leks dancing around poles.

Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to.

There was plenty to see in Theed before then, of course, as it would be kind of tacky to watching dancing girls at lunch. Or so Ben assumed.

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"Yeah. Um. Thanks for. You know."

That was totally the appropriate way to thank your host.

"Letting you stay here and keeping Tony and Ben from abandoning you to half-naked Twi'leks?" Ender filled in. "You're welcome, Topher."

"It's a nice house," he added. Because, well, it was. Even if he'd said that already.

And now he was just going to shift from foot to foot and completely not think about Ender killing anyone in the shower.

...damn it.

Ender eyed him, feeling oddly as if this was more than just Topher's usual social awkwardness at work. "I'm glad you think so," he said, "I'm not about to bite you, Topher."

"I know!" Topher blurted out. "Because that was just Kate that one time and anyway she was only temporarily a vampire and that was a whole other thing, like, with an alternate universe something, which you definitely aren't because you're Ender, so that -- that would not be you! With the biting!"

Ender's eyebrows went up. "No, it wouldn't be," he said, "And we're not in that alternative universe."

"Because Kate isn't here."

...sure.

"We all had to deal with that fiasco a few years back," Ender said. He wasn't so sure that anything that made Topher so twitchy about Ender was something he particularly wanted to talk about, so he avoided forcing the issue.

For the best, Ender. For the best.

"Oh." Huh. "Um. So everyone was a vampire? That sounds... creepy."

"Not everyone. It was an alternative universe where half of us had become vampires, and the other half still fought them."

He was not going to go into specifics about himself, thank you.

"They used magical means to ask us on this end for help."

"Oh."

Topher pondered that.

"Weird.

Ender shot him a wry look. "Yes," he agreed, "A little weird."

"Sooooo." Topher shifted a little. "Hey, um, so your sister went to space."

Topher Brink: King of the non-sequiturs.

"Yes, a couple of years ago," Ender said, with a light shrug. "Peter got over it."

Mostly.

"I think he's upset," Topher said.

It was only recently that he'd learned to care about that, and Ender could probably tell that he wasn't entirely comfortable with that.

Ender slanted a look at him. "He is," he said, deciding this wasn't the time to let his cynicism show.

"Is there, like. Something I should say, or...?"

"It's Peter," Ender said. "He'll have found... something to distract himself already." He gave a shrug. "His problems are within our family, and it'll be a while before he takes solace from them, let alone the rest of the world."

And he could have said 'he might like it if you stuck around, even he won't say it', but he wasn't sure that was Topher needed was more of Peter's influence.

"Right." Topher flushed a little and brought a hand up to scratch the back of his neck, wondering if it was weird to have asked. "Uh. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Ender said, with a quick smile. "You're concerned about my brother - I get that."

Feeling like he should expand on that somehow, Topher offered, "He, um. He's, you know. A good friend and all that."

"Is he?" There was that cynicism, yes. "I'm glad to hear it," he said. "My Peter never really had any good friends."

For good reason.

"Oh." Topher looked unsure. "Um. He has, like. Kenzi. And stuff."

"Not in my universe," Ender reminded him. "He never went anywhere near Fandom - besides the occasional Parents' Weekend."

"No, yeah, I figured," Topher said, nodding. "I just meant, you know. The one at Fandom. Now he does. Sorta."

A beat.

"He didn't -- I mean, anyone?"

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